Hospitals: RSV cases on the rise in eastern Idaho

Hospitals in eastern Idaho are reporting in slight uptick in cases of respiratory syncytial virus or RSV, according to the Eastern Idaho Public Health District.

RSV is the virus responsible for the common cold, but in infants and the elderly, the effects can be potentially life-threatening.

EIRMC told Local News 8 it’s seen about 20 cases of RSV since the beginning of April.

Pediatricians say you can take a hands-on approach to preventing the virus.

“Wash your hands. That’s one of the biggest things we tell everyone is to wash your hands,” said Susan Bankhead, EIRMC’s director of pediatrics.

While it’s extremely rare, there have been some cases of infants dying from RSV.

“Dying from RSV’s not something that happens a lot. There are times when some babies, if they’ve had some other genetic problems or some other sicknesses or illnesses (it’s gonna be) very hard for them, ’cause it does affect the lungs of the baby,” said Bankhead.

Symptoms of RSV include runny and stuffed noses.